Sustainability needs nuclear, other technical advances

摘要

World Energy Outlook 2004 calls on governments to take the lead in developing new technologies to meet future energy needs without compromising the environment. With nuclear power's share of the world energy market expected to fall over the next 30 years, and the use of other noncar-bon-emitting renewable energy sources set to only triple, the International Energy Agency (IEA), in its World Energy Outlook 2004, sees virtually no possibility of the current energy system's developing in a sustainable way. The Outlook, the IEA's flagship publication, paints a sobering picture of how the global energy system is likely to evolve from now to 2030, If governments stick with the policies in force as of mid-2004— the business as usual scenario—the world's energy needs will be almost 60 percent higher in 2030 than they are now. Fossil fuels will continue to dominate the global energy mix, meeting 85 percent of the increase in overall energy use. Two-thirds of the new demand will come from the developing world, especially China and India. The shares of nuclear power and renewable energy sources will remain low. The increase in energy demand will be matched by a 60 percent increase in CO_2 emissions, with over two-thirds of that coming from developing countries.